EpicDetect vs LetsDefend (2026): Which Should You Pick?

Quick disclosure before anything else: this post is written by the EpicDetect team, and EpicDetect is our product. That is an obvious bias, so here is how we kept it in check. Every claim about LetsDefend below comes from their public pages (linked in Sources), we say plainly where LetsDefend is the better fit, and we list what EpicDetect does not have.

This is the honest version.

Last checked: October 2026

What is the short answer?

LetsDefend is built around a simulated SOC: alerts arrive and you investigate them. If what you mainly want is reps working an alert queue, or you are aiming at an Incident Responder path, LetsDefend is the better fit, and we would point you there.

EpicDetect is built around learning first and investigating a story. You get a skill map (the Atlas) that tells you what to learn next, standalone Cases where you work the evidence and ship a verdict, Adventures that run one continuous incident across several episodes, and Security+ exam prep in the same subscription. If you are a beginner or a career changer and you want one place for fundamentals, investigation practice and (optionally) Security+, in our view EpicDetect is the easier start.

What is LetsDefend?

LetsDefend describes its core format as a simulated SOC environment where alerts arrive and you investigate them. Around that it offers courses, challenges, quizzes and hands-on labs.

It organises learning into career paths: SOC Analyst, Incident Responder and Detection Engineering, with certificates of completion on paid plans. The roles it lists include SOC Analyst, Incident Responder, Detection Engineer, DFIR, SIEM Engineer and Threat Hunter.

One piece of context worth knowing: Hack The Box has owned LetsDefend since September 2025 (HTB announced the acquisition on 16 September 2025). HTB says 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend are now integrated into HTB Academy. LetsDefend's own site still sells its plans, so you can buy either way.

How much does LetsDefend cost in 2026?

As of October 2026, according to the LetsDefend pricing page:

• Basic: free. Free courses, challenges, quizzes, hands-on labs 1 hour/month, and limited SOC Analyst alerts.
• VIP: $24.99/month, or $16.99/month billed annually. 140 lab hours/month.
• VIP+: $39.99/month, or $29.99/month billed annually. Unlimited lab hours, Incident Responder alerts and courses, and connecting to endpoint machines.
• Students: 50% discount with a .edu email.

You can cancel any time, and the subscription ends at the end of the billing cycle. Prices change, so check their site before you buy.

What is EpicDetect?

EpicDetect is a browser-based SOC and Security+ training site. Nothing to install. It has four parts, and they are meant to work together.

Cases: one investigation, one verdict

Cases are standalone investigations set at one fictional company, Straylight, a finance firm. There are five live cases and all five are free, for example:

• ED-101 Open Enrollment Benefits Notice (Email Analysis, easy, 10-15 min)
• ED-104 VPN Auth Spray Against Treasury Staff (Log/SIEM Analysis, easy, 10-15 min)
• ED-105 Macro Click on ws-fin-01 (Endpoint Investigation, easy, 10-15 min)

The other two, ED-102 and ED-103, are threat intelligence cases. Each one starts with a briefing. You then work the evidence in a console that matches the case (email, threat intel, SIEM/log search or endpoint), pin the evidence that supports your call, and finish with a verdict and the IOCs, like a real ticket. ED-104's objectives read like this: "Show the multi-user VPN failure burst from a single external IP", "Pin the first successful VPN session that followed the spray", "Ship the attacker IP and compromised mailbox as IOCs with a supported verdict".

To be clear, Cases are not an alert queue. Each case is one investigation. They also work on phones as well as desktops.

Adventures: a story-driven SOC shift

Adventures are story-driven investigations. In Season Zero you are a new analyst in your first week, working alongside Ed and Tess. Episode 1, "First Day", takes 30-40 minutes: Tess sits with you on your first reported email, and the next one is yours alone.

Each episode moves through a briefing, checkpoints, challenges and a debrief, and the investigation carries across episodes, so you are following one incident rather than starting fresh each time. Season Zero is free: all five episodes, roughly 3-4 hours in total. Season One adds five more episodes on Premium.

The Atlas: a map of what to learn next

The Atlas is a skill map of nine zones, from foundations through SOC, detection, threat intel and hunting, and more, laid out in tiers you climb in order. At sign-up you pick a route (for example SOC Analyst or Security+) and the map shows your next step.

As of October 2026 there are 60 modules and 9 tracks live, with more added as they are written. The first tier of each zone is free; deeper tiers are Premium. Free modules and tracks cover Linux, Windows, Active Directory, Python and more. Many lessons include typed-answer questions you cannot skip, with no "reveal answer" button, so you cannot click through on autopilot.

Exam prep: Security+, Network+ and A+

Free, no card:

• The 20-question Security+ practice test. No account needed, scored against the pass line, and it shows your weakest domain.
• The Security+ daily drill: 10 questions a day, about 10 minutes, every answer explained, free with an account. It focuses on one domain at a time and moves on once you score 8 of 10 on three drills.
• Security+ Module 1.

On Premium:

• The Security+ track: 8 modules, 46 lessons, in exam order. Network+ and A+ Core 1/Core 2 tracks too.
• Timed exam simulators for Security+, Network+, A+ Core 1 and Core 2, scored by domain. The Security+ simulator draws 90 questions at random from an 872-question bank, weighted by domain, on a 90-minute clock.
• Nine Security+ flashcard decks with spaced review.

How much does EpicDetect cost?

The free plan needs no card and has no time limit. Premium is $25/month, or $180/year ($15/month billed annually), with a 7-day free trial. Premium adds every Premium Atlas module, the certification tracks, the exam simulators, the flashcard decks and Adventures Season One.

What does EpicDetect not have?

You should know this before you sign up anywhere:

• No SIEM-style alert queue or simulated SOC monitoring environment. That is LetsDefend's core format. If alert-queue reps are what you want, EpicDetect will not give you them.
• No incident-responder career path.
• No proctored certification.
• No performance-based question simulations for the exams.
• No offensive or red-team content.
• No memory or disk forensics labs, no malware reverse-engineering labs, no cloud labs.

EpicDetect vs LetsDefend: how do they compare side by side?

LetsDefend prices from the LetsDefend pricing page, as of October 2026. Prices change, check their site before you buy.

Which should you pick?

You are brand new to security. In our view, start with EpicDetect. The Atlas gives you an order to learn in, the first tier of every zone is free, and Season Zero shows you what an investigation actually feels like before you have to work one alone.

You mainly want alert-triage reps. Pick LetsDefend. A simulated SOC where alerts keep arriving is exactly its format, and EpicDetect does not have one. We would rather you use the right tool than the one we sell.

You are aiming at incident response. LetsDefend has an Incident Responder career path, with Incident Responder alerts and courses on VIP+. EpicDetect has no incident-responder path, so LetsDefend is the better fit here.

You are studying for Security+. In our view, EpicDetect, because the exam prep sits in the same subscription as the SOC practice. Take the free practice test first and see where you stand.

You like learning through a story. EpicDetect. Adventures follow one incident across episodes with recurring characters, which some people find easier to stick with.

You are on a tight student budget. Compare the two free tiers first. If you then want LetsDefend's paid plans, their 50% student discount with a .edu email is worth knowing about.

Can you use both?

Yes. In our view, a learn-first, story-driven platform and an alert-queue platform pair well. For example, learn the fundamentals and work a full incident on EpicDetect, then take what you learned into LetsDefend's alert queue for volume. Both have free tiers, so trying both costs you nothing but time.

If you are still weighing other options, our LetsDefend review and alternatives covers the wider field, and LetsDefend vs TryHackMe compares it with another big name.

FAQ

Is EpicDetect a LetsDefend alternative for beginners?

For many beginners, yes, in our view. EpicDetect starts with a learning map and guided, story-driven investigations, then adds Security+ prep. It is not a like-for-like replacement, though: it has no simulated alert queue, which is LetsDefend's core format.

Does LetsDefend have a free plan?

Yes. As of October 2026 its Basic plan is free and includes free courses, challenges, quizzes, hands-on labs 1 hour/month and limited SOC Analyst alerts, per the LetsDefend pricing page. Prices and plans change, so check their site.

Who owns LetsDefend?

Hack The Box, since September 2025. HTB says 191 defensive courses from LetsDefend are now integrated into HTB Academy, and LetsDefend's own site still sells its plans.

Does EpicDetect have an alert queue like LetsDefend?

No. EpicDetect Cases are one investigation each, and Adventures follow one continuous incident. If you want a simulated SOC with alerts arriving, LetsDefend is the better choice.

Which is cheaper, EpicDetect or LetsDefend?

Both have free tiers. As of October 2026, EpicDetect Premium is $25/month or $180/year; LetsDefend VIP is $24.99/month or $16.99/month billed annually, and VIP+ is $39.99/month or $29.99/month billed annually. Prices change, so check both sites before you buy.

How EpicDetect Can Help

If you want to see whether our format suits you, start with Adventures Season Zero. Episode 1 takes about 30-40 minutes, and the whole season is free.

Then open the Atlas, pick a route, and work through the free first tier. If Security+ is on your list, the free 20-question Security+ practice test needs no account and shows your weakest domain.

When you are ready to save progress, Start free. No card needed.

Sources

• LetsDefend pricing: https://app.letsdefend.io/pricing
• Hack The Box acquires LetsDefend: https://www.hackthebox.com/blog/hack-the-box-acquires-letsdefend
• HTB Academy pricing and LetsDefend courses: https://www.hackthebox.com/blog/new-academy-pricing